The Lessons
by Princess Lucy
Summary: When a spoiled little girl comes to stay at the Professors house the Pevensie children must teach her ,a few lessons
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter one**

"I'm bored," Lucy said glumly from her perch on the window seat in the Professors parlour.

It was raining, much like it had been the day Lucy had discovered Narnia - had it only been two weeks ago?

"We could play a game," Susan suggested.

Edmund looked at her, shaking his head

"No way, Su, your games will just make us more bored."

Peter snorted and tried to cover it up by pretending he had coughed.

"The problem is," he said reflectfully, "it's worse now, because we know it's there and we can't get to it."

He was of course referring to Narnia.

"And I agree with Ed, Susan, your games are a tad boring. If it wasn't raining we could go outside and play cricket, but as it is we'll have to think of other ways to amuse ourselves."

They all four sat there and then Lucy hopped up.

"And no hide and seek!" Peter said quickly before Lucy could suggest it. "At least not for a while," he added.

They were spared from having to think of a game by the entrance of Mrs. Macready; the housekeeper very rarely set foot in the parlour she had set aside for the children.

"The Professor would like to see all four of you in the parlour," she said in her brisk tones.

They stood up and headed down the hall to Professor Kirke's office. He was sitting behind his desk when they entered.

"Come in,come in," he said, waving them in; and they came in.

"Well, now. I have some news for you all, another girl will be coming to stay here. She's about Lucy's age - a year older in fact."

The four of them looked at each other; it would be nice to have another child around! Lucy was doubly excited.

"When will she be here?" Peter asked

Professor Kirke looked at his pocket watch.

"Within the hour, I believe. Mrs Macready has gone to fetch her."

They left his office.

In an hour, Mrs.Macready was showing a young girl into the parlour. She had a sour-looking expression on her face.

"This is Elise McDansen," Mrs.Macready said before leaving.

Elise scowled and looked out the window.

"Is it always so dull here? It's boring, I hate it already."

She flopped down on a chair and scowled even deeper her arms folded across her chest. All four Pevensies were silent -this girl was spoiled indeed. Lucy stepped forward.

"Would you like to play a game?" she asked cautiously.

Elise looked askance.

"I never play with other children. Mummy says I'm far too delicate," she said.

"You don't look delicate to me." Edmund said bluntly

Elise pressed her lips together.

"You don't know anything, you're only a boy," she said airily.

She stood up and headed up the stairs.

"Well,she was... " Peter said, not wanting to say what he was really thinking.

"She's spoiled!" Susan retorted.

Indeed, Elise was spoiled - and in the short time since she arrived the whole household knew it. Even the three servants who worked under Mrs. Macready commented on it.

"Tha' young girl, such a spoiled lass I ever laid eyes on, and that you may tie to!" Betty said, kneading the dough for the bread.

"She refused to take her tea with the other children," Ivy shook her head. She was a young girl of eighteen with ten younger siblings at home "A girl like that will not have any friends, that I'm sure of."

It was true that young Miss Elise McDansen was spoiled, except no one had told her she was spoiled - at least not to her face.

She got her own way by yelling and screaming. The first time she did this they were outside playing cricket. When she missed the ball, Susan, who was keeping points, tallied up told her so.

Enraged, Elise threw her bat down.

"I did not!" she yelled, her face going red and then purple. She let forth a scream so loud it startled the birds in the trees.

"I didnot! I did not! I didnot!" she shrieked, throwing herself on the grass and pounding her fists and kicking her legs.

"Don't pay attention to her," Peter said calmly, which is what their mother used to say to their father when they were little and having a fit.

So they went on with their game, ignoring Elise. To her this was new at home - when she threw a tantrum no one dared ignore her. They all tried to give her what she wanted.

Unbeknownst to her, this was to be her first lesson. The Pevensies were going to see to that.

lesson ,The Pevensies were going to see to that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ch** **apter two **"The worst thing about Elise," Edmund would later comment when they were older, "was that no one ever told her she was a spoiled child."  
It had been three weeks since Elise's arrival and she seemed to be growing more spoiled (if that was possible). Used to getting her own way, she thought the world should be adjusted to suit her needs.  
If she wanted scones for tea, she demanded scones, even though none of the Pevensies liked scones. Finally Lucy, in a fit of frustration, blurted "You're so spoiled!"  
This was said after Elise had thrown three fits before lunch. The first was at breakfast, she didn't like the marmalade and Mrs. Macready refused to cater to her demands. There was nothing wrong with the marmalade on the table she said, and some children would be glad enough to have it.  
The second one took place after breakfast; once again it was raining and of course the first thing Elise wanted to play with was an old set of porcelain horses she had found in a curio cabinet. This time Susan was the one who told her she couldn't.  
"We're not allowed to touch anything, those are the rules."  
To no one's surprise, Elise threw her second fit, but by this time no one paid her any attention to her. Lucy and Edmund continued to play checkers, Peter barely looked up from the book he was reading, and Susan turned away and went to the bookcase; picking out a book, she sat on the couch.  
"Ed, Lu, when you two are finished with your game you should wash up for lunch," she said, completely ignoring Elise's howls.  
By her third fit the four of them had all they could take which was why Lucy said what she did.  
Elise stopped mid-howl - she had been kicking and screaming and pounding her hands and feet on the floor of the parlour. Now she looked up at the little girl, glaring at her, hands on her hips and a fierce look on her face. The other three children who were older did not scold the girl for calling her a bad name "I am not!" Elise cried, getting to her feet and wiping her eyes with the back of her hands and drawing herself up to her full height.  
"Don't you dare call me spoiled or I shan't talk to you ever!"  
The little girl stared at her.  
"You are! you are!" she said, stamping her foot. "You're so spoiled and no one likes you!"  
She turned on her heel and left Elise standing there her mouth hanging open. The oldest girl spoke up.  
"She does have a point; you are spoilt, you know"  
"Very spoilt," the oldest boy replied, shaking his head as the three of them left her standing there completely in shock.  
Elise sat on the couch fuming. She wasn't spoiled; she just wasn't! But if she wasn't why did she have no friends? No one seemed to want to play with her at school; she had always thought it was because they were mean, but who wants to play with a little girl who threw fits when she lost a game? No one, that's who.  
The truth of the matter was that Elise was a very lonely little girl. She had no friends to play with and it was entirely her fault. The little girl named Lucy came back in and sat down.  
"I'm sorry I called you spoiled, Pax?" She held out her hand.  
Elise stared at her.  
"Does this mean you think I'm not spoiled?" she asked, but the little girl shook her head.  
"No, you are a bit spoiled; hasn't anyone told you?"  
Elise sat there thinking. No one ever told her she was spoiled - her parents and relations doted on her, catering to her every whim and fancy. But here were four children telling her what she should have been told a long time ago and she didn't know how to feel. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three** Elise's lessons began in earnest the next day. The first lesson the Pevensies were going to teach her was patience, for Elise had no patience. When she wanted things, she wanted them right away - many a servant had been subjected to Miss Elise's tantrums for ten years.  
The Pevensie children, on the other hand, though they were far from perfect (they did have their faults) were taught patience from an early age. The five of them went outside; it was just after dinner and the sky was a brilliant shade of orange and pink and purple. The sun had not set yet and it was the in-between time before nightfall.  
"What are we doing out here?" Elise demanded; she detested not knowing things.  
"Shh!" Peter put a finger to his lips. As the oldest, he was used to the impatience of his younger siblings.  
"Fireflies and other creatures come out at night," he explained.  
Elise frowned.  
"I don't see them - where are they?" she demanded, peering at the dense forest.  
"It takes a while," Susan explained.  
"And you must keep still and have patience - something you don't seem to have!" she added.  
For the first time in her life, Elise sat quietly, not demanding anything; she just sat. Fifteen minutes passed and then suddenly Lucy gave a little squeal of delight.  
"Look! Look! In the bushes!" the little girl could barely sit still.  
Elise looked over at the bush as first a tiny nose with whiskers came out, then a face with black beady eyes.  
"What is it?" Elise whispered "You've never seen a hare before?" Edmund asked wonderingly.  
Elise shook her head. Never in her life had she seen a hare; she had grown up in London.  
"Never," she said softly. Her face had lost its scowl and her eyes were bright with wonderment as she looked at the hare.  
"It's beautiful," she whispered. "What's that?" she asked, pointing at another animal.  
"A badger," Peter said, looking where she was pointing.  
"Do all these animals come out at night?" she asked as a fox came out of its hole.  
An owl hooted overhead.  
Susan nodded.  
"They're nocturnal," she said.  
Elise looked around her at the different animals.  
"I should like to come out here every night; it's pretty. London is boring at night."  
Unlike the Pevensies, she had lived right in the heart of the city of London. They had lived on the edge of London.  
"Come on," Peter said, standing up. The others followed suit and they headed back to the house .  
A/N**: short ,I know and in case anyone wants to know Elise is a bit like Mary from "The Secret Garden" but a bit worse,basically she's a very spoiled little girl. **


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: In case you didn't know, I only own Elise (well duh). 

**Chapter four **The next lesson the children were going to teach Elise was to say "Please" and "Thank you."  
After several meals with her, they were beginning to notice that Elise said neither "please" nor "thank you"; it was "Give me this" or "I want that!" Lucy was reminded of a story their mother used to tell them about the little pleases and thank yous that lived in people's mouths; if you didn't let them out they'd shrivel up and die.  
"I highly doubt a little please lives in peoples mouths," Susan said.  
"Still," Peter said thoughtfully, "Elise could stand to learn a few manners."  
They were going to start the lesson at lunch. The minute they sat down, and Ivy had brought in the food and had left Elise demanded in her cross little voice,"I want the peas!"  
No one made any movement but continued eating; since the professor was busy in his study, they were eating alone.  
Elise clenched her teeth.  
"Did you hear me? I said I want the peas!" she said fiercely.  
"There's no need to shout," Susan said quite calmly, "we heard you quite well."  
Elise pursed her lips.  
"I want the peas now! now! now!" she screamed.  
"You might say please," Edmund suggested helpfully.  
Elise stared at them.  
"Why should I? I never say please!"  
She crossed her arms and sat back, and the look on her face could curdle a glass of milk.  
"You're all awful!" she cried passionately.  
Lucy felt bad and reached for the bowl of peas, but Peter stopped her with a look.  
"She needs to learn manners, Lu," he explained.  
"I shall starve to death and none of you care! You don't ! You don't! " Elise wept bitterly.  
"First of all, you won't starve to death," Edmund said dryly. "Second, if you'd say 'Please pass the peas' you'd have them."  
Elise glared at them.  
"You're awful beasts! All of you !"  
They ignored her.  
If Elise had been a different sort of girl, a polite child, they would have felt bad when she said this - but since she was only a rude, bad-tempered sort of little girl they couldn't care less.  
Elise watched as the best parts of the lunch was eaten by the four children. Then because she was growing hungrier by the minute she said in a meek little voice, "P-please, pass the peas down here."  
Surprised, they all looked up and Lucy passed not only the peas but the other bowls down toward Elise In the kitchen downstairs, Ivy, Betty, and Margaret were talking about the strange turn of events that were taking place.  
"You will never believe it," Betty said rolling up her sleeves to wash the dishes she had just cleared off the children's lunch table, "But that little girl actually said please sure as rain, just as polite as you please, like she was an ordinary child instead of spoiled petted little puss."  
Ivy took up a towel and began polishing the silver.  
"It's them younguns who are teaching her, eh! They're a good lot - a bit odd, but still good. Them younguns would be at home in a palace with the king and queen."  
Margaret nodded firmly.  
"They tell her the truth, that's for certain. None of them cater to her whims. I never did abide with a spoiled child - what with a war on, children must grow up quicker."  
They continued to clean and talk.  
If the servants were surprised by Elise's steadily changing behaviour, then Mrs. Macready was in shock. She had laid down the rules of the house to all the children and though they had one incident with a broken window, at least the four children who had come earlier abided by the rules. Even the youngest child never shouted or yelled, but the little girl that had just come threw tantrums almost every hour.  
Mrs. Macready could tell this was the sort of child who had been spoiled and she had gotten up to go in the parlour and scold the girl, but when she had gotten there she was met by a sight that surprised her.  
Instead of coaxing or pleading with Elise to stop or giving her what she wanted, all four children were ignoring her. And when the youngest girl called the other girl spoiled, Mrs.Macready was glad because she had a feeling this was what the girl needed to hear.  
She told her employer about it, and he nodded and smiled in a mysterious way.  
"Out of the mouth of babes. That child should been have told the truth a long time ago. Perhaps it is good that she came here, for the Pevensie children might be able to teach Elise a few well-needed lessons."

A/N: There really is a story about a little "Please" and "Thank you" that live in people's mouths. I think it was written around the 1900s; it's in a book called "The Book of Virtues." Good story, too.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I have made the children's ages one year younger than that of the movie and a year older than that of the book. So Peter is fourteen, Susan twelve. Edmund ten. Lucy is still eight though and Elise is now nine, not ten. Okay, on with chapter 5.**

_**Chapter five**_

Like it or not, Elise was slowly learning that the universe did not revolve around her. It was almost time for her next lesson. Susan noticed that Little Miss Elise was a sore loser. Okay, Lucy pointed that little fact out, but still that wasn't relevant. The point was that Elise was a selfish girl; in fact the Pevensie children had never met anyone so selfish except for their cousin Eustace.

"They ought to get together," Edmund joked.

They all shuddered, the thought of their cousin and Elise ever meeting was too terrible to think about. They were not in the parlour, but the spare room, and Lucy looked longingly at the wardrobe.

"There's no use wishing, Lu," Edmund sighed, following his little sister's gaze.

"I was just thinking that if Elise could get into Narnia, she'd change like you did, Ed," Lucy revealed.

The door burst open and Elise stormed in, looking very hot and bothered. She had been sitting in the parlour, bored and sullen and sulky, and she wanted Lucy to play with her.

"Why are you up here?" she demanded "It's boring up here and hot too!"

She scowled.

"There's nothing up here anyway just a stupid old wardrobe."

She scowled even deeper.

"I'm bored, I've no one to play with, I think you're all horrid for ignoring me!"

Her voice got higher when she said that and two big tears rolled down her face. She took several heaving breaths.

"Oh, don't start howling again!" Edmund warned.

Lucy stood up.

"We weren't ignoring you it's just we were talking. And besides, you never play right - you hog the ball when we play cricket and cheat or throw a fit when we play checkers," she replied.

"I do not!" Elise stamped her foot, "I don't!" she repeated.

Susan shook her head.

"Oh, dear, she's going to throw a fit again!"

But to their immense relief Elise did not throw a fit.

"I won't cheat, I swear, I won't - come play checkers with me?" she implored Lucy.

Lucy agreed readily.

"But if you throw a fit, I shan't play with you again," she warned as they made their way out of the room.

"This I have to see," Edmund said, following after them. Peter and Susan hurried after him.

When they reached the parlour, they were greeted by a very peculiar sound the sound of two children giggling. Lucy's giggles were not strange though, after all Lucy was a very cheerful child. No, what was weird was Elise's giggles, for the whole three weeks Elise had not laughed not even once. The sound of her laughter was like a bubbling brook ,her eyes were shining brightly and her cheeks were flushed with excitement.

The three of them stood there mouths hanging open in shock.

"By George she actually sounds like a little girl!" Peter said in awe.

He was rather proud of his little sister - if anyone could help Elise she could. They observed the two little girls as they played several games of checkers, and not once did Elise cheat or throw a fit.

"I think she's learning; she hasn't yelled or cheated once," Susan said.

Later that afternoon Lucy and Elise went outside. Elise turned to Lucy.

"D-do you like me?" she asked.

Lucy nodded.

"I didn't at first, 'cause you were so spoiled; but you're not half as spoiled as you used to be when you first came here," Lucy told her truthfully.

Elise gasped in delight.

"Oh! Oh! you really and truly do like me? No one's ever liked me before!" she said.

Lucy was hardly surprised but all she said was "Perhaps it was because you were so sour and sulky all the time. But your not that way now - not all that much, I mean" she added, for a tiny part of Elise was still disagreeable.

"I like you, I like all of you. I didn't think I would, but I do and I'm glad I came here. I thought it would be boring but it isn't - and I like it, I do I do!" Elise said passionately as if daring anyone to contradict her.

**A/N: Okay, to all my fingers crossed readers please, please, please review this story pretty please or Elise will have a fit and we don't want that, do we? So just give that cute purple button a click and to my one reviewer: Thanks !**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter six**_

Everyone was getting used to Elise's better attitude. Granted, she still had moments when she was surly and cross, but she was slowly getting better. At least she was using her manners and sharing.

As for her fits, she still had them but very rarely. As Peter pointed out, "Rome wasn't built in a day," which meant that miracles don't happen overnight.

Susan, on the other hand, had a small feeling, that Elise's good behaviour would not last, that it was like the calm before a storm. After all, Elise had been spoiled for nine years and though they were making progress they had a lot of work yet to do.

Surprisingly she was right. It happened on a rainy Tuesday. Elise had woken up sulky and cross.

"I hate porridge, I want eggs!" she demanded as Betty brought in bowls of porridge. She looked at Elise.

"Porridge is better on a cold day, Miss," she said.

Elise frowned. Feeling contrary and sour, she folded her arms.

"I won't eat it" she said haughtily, turning her nose up.

Betty had other things to do than cater to the whims of a spoiled little girl, and so she left the dining room.

"If I were you I'd start eating or else Ed will eat it," Susan warned Elise as she started eating her own bowl of cereal.

Elise pushed the bowl away.

"I don't want it!"

She nibbled on a piece of toast.

"I want the marmalade," she demanded.

Lucy, who was sitting close to the jar, looked up.

"What's the magic word?" she sang.

Elise reached across the table and snatched the jar.

"What happened to saying please?" Susan and Edmund wondered out loud.

"She was doing so good for a while," Lucy said.

She opened the wardrobe door and sighed inwardly. They were in the spare room. Elise hated that room and said it was boring.

"You know what they say, you can't force a leopard to change its spots," Susan quoted.

Edmund looked at her.

"Who says that? I've never heard anyone say that in my life."

Peter, who was sitting on the window seat, replied, "It's from a story by Rudyard Kipling. It just means some people can't change - but that's not true, because you did."

Lucy came over.

"Perhaps we should tell her about Narnia," she said tentatively.

"The problem with that is that she might not believe us," Susan replied.

Lucy shook her head.

"She might, I would," she said.

"Well, of course you would - you've been!" Edmund reminded her.

"No," Lucy insisted ,"if I hadn't gone and you told me about it, I'd believe you. We should tell her," she said, nodding.

"Yeah great plan, Lu" Peter said a bit dryly. "Except what happens if she wants to go there; it's not like we could get back "

Lucy bit her lip.

"But if we could, we could show her Narnia and she could talk to Aslan and He'd change her, I know He would!"

The next thing that happened none of them could explain. One minute they were sitting on the floor, when the next they felt a draft.

"Peter, is the window open?" Susan asked, shivering slightly.

Peter shook his head.

"No, I don't think this window does open."

Lucy jumped up and yanked the door open.

"It's back! Narnia is back! I'm going to get Elise don't go through without me!" she tore downstairs and came back dragging a very confused looking Elise with her

Lucy could barely contain her excitement. She knew they'd get back - she just knew it!

_**Part two is going to take place in Narnia, so the English part of this story is done. Read and review, okay?**_


End file.
